


Concentrated Strength (Its Fruit is Sweet)

by afreezingnote



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Court Sorcerer Merlin (Merlin), Dom Merlin (Merlin), Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Frottage, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Multi, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Post-Battle of Camlann (Merlin), Sub Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:41:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26776057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afreezingnote/pseuds/afreezingnote
Summary: While Gwen entertains noblewoman over breakfast, Merlin and Arthur take advantage of a free morning to try some new things. Gwen returns to find her husband still tied up with Merlin and joins her lovers in their experiment.
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen/Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 96
Collections: Tavern Quest 1: Merlin Frottage Fest





	Concentrated Strength (Its Fruit is Sweet)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Frottage Fest hosted by The Tavern discord server. Edited and brit-picked by Lawless_bard whose thoughtful and enthusiastic beta help I appreciate a great deal. Any mistakes left are my own.
> 
> If I owned these characters, I wouldn't have let the BBC get its grubby hands on them, my ot3 would be canon, and we'd have had consistent characterization to accompany the bonus steamy scenes. But, alas, I'm only having fun. If this story appears anywhere other than Archive of Our Own, it has been reposted without my consent.
> 
> To prevent a wall of text in the tags, I'm listing the details of the explicit sexual content here for anyone who wants a heads up on what to expect: frottage of multiple varieties, including clothed dry humping, classic grinding, and the two-cocks-in-one-hand job (all m/m); edging/orgasm denial; oral sex of multiple varieties, including m/m blowjobs and face fucking as well as m/f cunnilingus; riding (m/f); male and female masturbation; and comeplay, including come marking, creampie, and come eating/swallowing.
> 
> Additional warning for hand feeding, which itself is non-sexual but happens while Arthur is mentally in subspace, as we'd say these days.

_“Patience is not passive. It is concentrated strength.”_ —Bruce Lee

 _“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”_ —John Chardin

Merlin’s eyes fluttered open as Gwen slipped from the bed. He grumbled unhappily at the wash of cold on his side and reached out, catching her hand.

“Where’re you going?” he murmured.  
  
“It’s Monday, love,” she whispered, trying not to wake Arthur as well.

Merlin squinted at her for a moment before his sleep-sluggish brain recalled Guinevere’s weekly breakfast appointment with Camelot’s most notable noblewomen. He hummed his understanding and pushed himself up on an elbow, tugging at Gwen. She leaned down with a fond smile. He snogged her with more fervour than a respectable goodbye kiss ought to have, not that either of them minded.

Merlin let himself slump back into the mattress as Gwen crossed to the door joining her chambers to Arthur’s rooms. Unlike Arthur, he couldn’t doze once his mind touched wakefulness. Instead he turned to face his slumbering companion.

Fortunately for the two of them, Arthur reserved the hours before noon on Mondays for preparing the necessary correspondence for the week’s business, and they’d already taken care of the paperwork the evening before, which left them free to savour indolence.

Arthur lost the tension he normally carried in sleep. Merlin relished the sight of him with his limbs loose and sprawled, his face lax and unguarded, and his hair golden as light from the window stretched toward them, crowning Arthur with morning sunshine. 

The next season would mark a year since Camlann. Six months had passed since Arthur and Gwen had asked him to their bed following the feast where Arthur had officially named him Court Sorcerer. Merlin still marveled at simple intimacies shared with his lovers everyday and hoped he always would.

Arthur shifted onto his side, snuffling as his arm swept out. His hand smacked lightly against Merlin's sternum. He’d journeyed far enough out of the depths of dreams to scoot closer.

Merlin lifted his hand and laid it on Arthur’s waist, allowing him even nearer until he could feel Arthur hard between them. Arthur, not yet fully conscious, hitched his hips, seeking pressure. Merlin slid a thigh between Arthur’s legs to offer him something to grind against. He rucked up Arthur’s nightshirt enough to access bare skin and raked his fingers along the expanse of his back while dropping soft kisses on Arthur’s face.

Arthur blinked slowly and smiled to find Merlin in his arms. “Morning,” he said.

“Good dreams?” Merlin asked as he pressed against Arthur’s cock with his leg.  
  
“Mmm, must have been,” Arthur said. “I don’t remember.”

“A pity. We might have made them come true.”

“I’m sure we can think of something.”

“Without doubt,” Merlin said. “I have an idea already.”

“What’s that?” Arthur asked.

“You remember what you promised me the other day in exchange for my company while dealing with that oafish nobleman?”  
  
Lord Todren was a ghastly bore who could go on for centuries about nothing and whose manners were off at best, but his level of wealth bought him indulgence as surely as drink turned to piss. Arthur couldn’t afford to deny him a private audience with the frequency he wanted. He’d delayed the meeting twice before. So, he’d been desperate for Merlin’s presence.

_“I can endure anything if you’re with me,” Arthur had said. “Please, Merlin. I’ll let you do what we talked about—tying me up so you can do whatever you like with me.”_

_Merlin had agreed, looking like the cat that got the cream._

“I remember,” Arthur said.

“So, then. Do you think you can be good?” Merlin asked.

“I can be good.”  
  
Merlin kissed him, long and lush. He drew back with a wicked smile quirking his lips. “Excellent,” he said. He nudged Arthur’s shoulder, wordlessly requesting he lay on his back. Merlin’s eyes flashed gold and their clothes vanished from their bodies, reappearing on the chair next to the bed, folded neatly.

Arthur had come to appreciate that particular spell a great deal. It had taken him a while to acclimate to Merlin using magic casually, but now he enjoyed watching Merlin cast, sometimes more than he ought to. The Merlin that had returned with him from Camlann, who no longer held back his power with every waking breath, was possessed of a feline grace that stole Arthur’s breath. In bed, Merlin proved sinuous and sensual and self-assured.

“Would you prefer rope, or may I bind you with magic?” Merlin asked.

“Either,” Arthur said. “Magic.”

Merlin hummed approvingly. “I hoped you’d say so,” he said. He straddled Arthur and leaned over to retrieve the massage oil from the bedside table drawer then pondered how to anchor the restraints before muttering a spell. “Síma beorht.”

Light grew from Merlin’s hand. It matched the color of the orb that had led Arthur out of the Caves of Balor, but rather than a sphere, this conjuration elongated in a glimmering stream. The light slithered through the air, looping around each post above the headboard before coiling thrice around each of Arthur’s wrists. The magic rope tugged at him until his arms extended over his head, the stretch secure but comfortable. 

“Alright?” Merlin asked.

Arthur nodded.

“If you want to stop, just say the word.”

“I will,” Arthur said.

Merlin clasped the vial he’d retrieved between his palms and spoke another spell. “Milde beþa.” When he drizzled the oil over Arthur’s cock, it was warm. Merlin slicked them both with nimble fingers then circled their shafts in a loose grip. His touch ghosted over their firm flesh, too light to do much more than draw attention.

“You’ll tell me when you’re close,” Merlin said.

Distracted by the hint of sensation promised with the graze of Merlin’s hand, Arthur didn’t answer.

Merlin tilted Arthur’s chin up, directing Arthur’s gaze and his focus. “You will tell me when you’re close, won’t you?” he asked. His eyes were serious and intent.

“Yes,” Arthur confirmed.

“Good,” Merlin said. 

Merlin eased himself down so that their lower bodies pressed flush with the twin lengths of their erections trapped and leaking between them. He didn’t break eye contact until he caught Arthur’s bottom lip, initiating a series of slow, searing, filthy kisses.  
  
In that moment, Arthur understood that, whatever Merlin had planned, he was doomed in the best way. He could read his fate in the unhurried way Merlin kissed. 

When Merlin began to rock his hips, he set a torturous pace, moving just enough to gradually heighten the urgency of their pleasure. 

Arthur found himself repeatedly trying to touch Merlin—wanting the feel of his skin under his palms, wanting to hold him, and wanting to tempt him into thrusting harder and faster most of all—before remembering he couldn’t, held fast as he was by magic. The deprivation of the restraints narrowed his awareness to two factors: the bonds and the sedate glide of Merlin’s cock alongside his own.

His sense of time skewed, and he couldn’t have guessed whether a few minutes, a candlemark, or hours had passed when he bucked into Merlin while groaning his frustration. As his body arched up, Merlin pulled away, denying him contact.

Merlin laid a hand on his chest, and though the gesture was gentle, it carried a clear reprimand. “Patience is a virtue, my love,” Merlin said. “You told me you could be good. You won’t disappoint me, will you?”

“No,” Arthur promised. “I can do better.”

“I know you can, and you’ll show me. You only need to do two things for me: be still and don’t come. If you can’t, I’ll have to enchant you immobile,” Merlin said. “Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Are you ready for more?”

Arthur flexed his fingers, took a deep breath, and nodded.

“Say it for me,” Merlin requested.

“I’m ready,” Arthur said. “Please.”

Merlin smirked. His eyes twinkled with satisfaction as he said, “Good boy.” He resumed his previous languorous undulations.

True to his word, Arthur forced himself to remain motionless. Having a goal made it easier to keep himself from losing control as well. He felt the first inkling of orgasm building and had opened his mouth to warn Merlin when a knock came at the door.

The displeased sound Merlin let out made him chuckle. 

Merlin sighed as he got up. “Sorry, darling,” he said. 

He brushed his knuckles along the ridge of Arthur’s cheekbone before going over to the chair where their clothes lay. He threw on Arthur’s nightshirt, scooped up the prepared letters and reports from the desk, and padded barefoot across the room. He slipped outside to greet George.

Arthur didn’t have time to let his mind wander before Merlin returned, carrying their breakfast tray. Arthur’s clothes fit Merlin fairly well, but the nightshirt was baggy even on him, which made it hang to mid-thigh on Merlin. With his arms raised, the hem skirted below the swell of Merlin’s arse, allowing Arthur to drink in the sight of his long, lithe legs.

Merlin set the food down and whisked off the shift with one hand, draping it back over the chair with the rest of their discarded clothes. Wrapped up in admiring the view, Merlin surprised him when he clambered back onto the bed and retook his place astride Arthur.

“I’m not sure what I want to do with you,” Merlin said pensively. He let his fingers skim idly at Arthur’s sides a few times. His roving hands passed over Arthur’s pectorals next. He rubbed his thumbs back and forth across Arthur’s nipples until they hardened then continued for the sake of titillation. “So many enticing options to choose from, but that can wait. Now, where were we?”

* * *

Merlin slicked them again with oil, realigned their cocks, and stretched out atop Arthur once more. When he rolled his hips this time, he initiated a rapid tempo. The friction created from Merlin’s short, rough shoves goaded Arthur mercilessly toward the edge. 

Arthur clenched his fists as all his muscles tensed, willing himself not to give in to the pull of orgasm. His thoughts skittered frantically when he realised he might not be able to resist.

“Merlin,” Arthur said, turning his name into a breathy plea. “Merlin, I’m close. I can’t. I can’t!”

Merlin stilled abruptly. “Alright, love,” he said. “We’ll take a break.”

He pushed himself up and helped Arthur into a sitting position, his magic cooperating automatically to allow the shift. He carded soothing fingers through Arthur’s hair while murmuring soft praise. He kissed Arthur’s forehead before climbing out of bed.

Merlin gathered food enough for them both from the tray and sat cross-legged beside Arthur with the plate balanced on one knee. He left Arthur tied. 

Merlin popped a blackberry in his mouth. Arthur watched his jaw work and thought, “ _How do you expect me to eat with no hands?”_ The question was on the tip of his tongue when Merlin held another berry to his lips. Arthur hesitated for a moment but accepted the offer without complaint.

They ate in companionable silence with Merlin feeding him bits of sausage, cheese, bread, and fruit piece by piece. When they finished, Merlin waved his hand lazily and the plate floated back to the table on its own.

Neither of them were hard any longer, so Merlin thought it best to confirm their mutual enjoyment before proceeding further. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“I feel fine.”  
  
“It’s not too much? We can continue, if you’d like, or have you had enough for today?”

“I can go on,” Arthur said.

“Can is one thing, but do you want to?” Merlin asked. “You’ve been quiet.”

“I want to.” Arthur knocked their knees together in lieu of the familiar reassurance of their customary shoulder bump. “I’m not sure if I can describe it, but I’m not quiet because I’m uncomfortable. Giving you control feels peaceful. Like my mind is floating. It’s nice.”

“Alright,” Merlin said. He squeezed Arthur’s thigh where it butted against his own. “You’re doing so well. I’m very pleased with how good you’ve been. Spread your legs for me now.”

Arthur complied and Merlin knelt in the open space. Merlin cupped Arthur’s neck and brought their lips together. As he deepened the kiss, Merlin dragged his fingers over Arthur’s soft cock, which plumped eagerly.

Breaking away, Merlin nipped playfully at one of Arthur’s biceps. He shuffled back, giving himself room to sprawl the length of the bed. He propped himself up on his elbows, took the head of Arthur’s cock in his mouth, and sucked vigorously as he worried the frenulum with the tip of his tongue. Merlin sank down until the thatch of Arthur’s pubic hair tickled his nose. Applying the same intense suction to Arthur’s entire length soon had him fully hard.

Merlin indulged them both, rutting against the sheets while enjoying the glide of Arthur’s cock between his lips as much as Arthur appreciated the sensation. Merlin continued to lavish attention on Arthur’s cock, peppering kisses along the shaft and flicking at his slit, until his own erection filled again. He let Arthur’s cock fall from his mouth, and, looking up at Arthur coyly through his lashes, pecked a final kiss on the tip.

“I want you on your back again,” Merlin said as he sat up.

* * *

Once Merlin had rearranged Arthur’s posture to suit his whims, he perched bestride Arthur again.

“You like being on top of me,” Arthur observed.

“I do,” Merlin said. “I know my horsemanship has improved through the years, but I think I’ll always have a better seat when riding you.”  
  
“Is that what you decided?” Arthur couldn’t keep a hopeful note from his voice.

“It was an option, but no,” Merlin said. He toyed with Arthur’s foreskin as he spoke. “We’ll leave that for another time when we’re not so new at this. I need concentration for what I want.”

Dispensing with the teasing, Merlin enclosed their cocks in one hand, building up a rhythm until he was stroking them purposefully. When Merlin's breathing grew ragged and a fetching flush darkened his cheeks, Arthur knew he was nearing orgasm. 

Arthur thought that if Merlin meant to finish, maybe he'd be permitted to as well. So, Arthur let himself get carried away in Merlin's rush to completion, let himself appreciate the vision of Merlin stripping their cocks with his head tipped back, accentuating the luxurious line of his throat.

Dutifully, Arthur informed Merlin when he too reached the threshold before pleasure bled into euphoria. Another band of Merlin’s magic materialised and twined around the base of his prick, preventing him from finding release as Merlin continued to jerk them together.

Arthur whined with mounting desperation. "Merlin, please. Please let me come. I need to. I have to, please, Merlin," he babbled.

"Not yet," he answered. "Wait for me, my good boy. My beautiful Arthur, you're so lovely, so perfect—"

Merlin released Arthur’s cock in favour of fisting his own with all finesse lost in haste. Broken, shuddering groans escaped him, accentuating each strip of come that landed on Arthur’s stomach and cock. His limbs were shaky as he lay on his side next to Arthur, but his hand was steady as he reached out to swipe the pads of two fingers through the wet splotches dotting Arthur’s body.

Using his spend like ink, Merlin doodled on Arthur’s skin, tracing lines and swirls along the length of his cock. Whether the markings were meant to be letters or glyphs, Arthur couldn’t discern. Merlin interspersed his sketching with firmer pressure where Arthur needed it, but it was never quite enough.

Guinevere found them in the midst of this round of denial. “This is different,” she remarked as she entered the room.

Merlin grinned and raised his head from Arthur’s chest to greet her. “Gwen! Has it already been two bells? We’ve been too occupied to notice.”

“I can see that,” she said. “Care to explain?”

The attentive way Gwen observed the scene before her made Merlin’s smile turn wolfish. 

“Tell Gwen the rules,” Merlin prompted Arthur.  
  
“Be still. Don’t come,” Arthur said.

“Direct. I like it,” Gwen said.

“Would you like to join us?” Merlin asked.

“Someone will have to help me out of all this,” Gwen said. Her tone was sly for she knew Merlin revelled in the methodical process of undressing her by hand, finding the gradual revelation of skin incredibly erotic.

Between one blink and the next, Merlin was up and rounding to the opposite side of the bed. His magic responded to his intent without a word uttered, and the rope came undone from behind the headboard. It drifted to attach to both left-facing bed posts instead. 

Merlin guided Arthur into a new position with his head hanging over the edge of the mattress. The restraints adjusted to the pose, tightening to hold his arms out straight on either side. Merlin praised his cooperation and bid him to watch.

Gwen swept her hair over one shoulder as Merlin came up behind her, exposing the crisscrossed ladder of lacings down her back. Merlin’s hands settled on her waist as he bent to kiss the curve of her neck. His fingers displayed the deftness of practice as he loosened the ties, and he sent each layer of clothing they removed to drape over the changing screen. 

When she was bare at last, Gwen turned in his arms. Merlin’s cock left a wet smear on her stomach as she pressed against him to catch his lips in a sultry kiss. Gwen licked into his mouth, and one kiss became several. They busied their hands with tender explorations as the fleeting brush of their tongues made them both moan.

As Merlin’s palms skimmed over the silky skin of Gwen’s bum, she hooked an ankle behind his knee. Anticipating the request, he clasped his hands below the swell of her arse and lifted her. Gwen’s hair fell like a curtain around them as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. She laughed as he spun them before carrying her to the bed.

Gwen sat beside Arthur after Merlin set her down. She tucked one leg under the other and waited, content to follow Merlin’s lead. Merlin stood before Arthur now and traced the tip of one finger from his sternum to his chin.

“You’ve behaved exceptionally well, so I think we can tweak one of our rules a smidge,” Merlin said. “Now, you must be still, but you may come whenever and however Gwen allows it.”

Arthur’s cock, red, stiff, and weeping, hovered above the trail of hair descending from his belly button, attesting to his deep arousal. Gwen curled a hand around the hard length. “It looks like he needs it badly.”

“He’s held out through four interruptions. I’d say he deserves his reward, but that mercy is yours,” Merlin said. He stroked Arthur’s lips with his thumb. “Any questions before we continue?”

“No,” Arthur said.

“Open your mouth, love, and relax,” Merlin said.

Arthur let his jaw drop, and Merlin fed his cock into Arthur’s mouth in cautious increments, allowing him to adjust to the depth without choking.

“Oh, that’s—” Guinevere cut herself off with a shaky sigh and pushed herself up.

When Arthur had confessed to her that he looked at their best friend _that way_ , she hadn’t expected how intensely seeing them together would stir her own desire. Her marriage with Arthur had never lacked for affection, support, or passion, but inviting Merlin to their bed had slotted a missing piece into place that neither of them had known they needed. Merlin _belonged_ with them. 

Gwen swung her leg over Arthur to bracket his thighs. Kneeling above him, she lined up his erection with her sex, using the head of his cock to tease herself. She had grown wet as Merlin undressed her, so the fit was easy as Arthur’s shaft sank inside her. She raised up to test the angle and bounced down again, rocking her hips when she bottomed out.

Eventually, she and Merlin found a matching cadence, moving within Arthur’s mouth and on his cock in concert. When Arthur began to strain at his bindings and whine around Merlin’s cock, they both knew what it meant.  
  
“You can come,” Gwen said. “Let go, Arthur, darling.”

Arthur groaned, and the vibrations of the sound induced Merlin to join him. Arthur’s cock pulsed forcefully enough as he came that Guinevere felt him jolt within her.

Gwen rode him until he softened inside her. She lifted off of him and laid down, dropping a hand down to play with herself while she watched how Arthur’s throat moved with Merlin’s cock pumping between his reddened lips.

She moaned and parted her knees when she noticed Merlin’s eyes riveted on her fingers massaging at the crown of her entrance. His lips parted and panting exhalations escaped him as he fucked into Arthur’s mouth faster.

Merlin managed to gasp out a partial warning. “Arthur, I’m—” Then enraptured moans tore from him, interrupting his thoughts as he spent.

As Arthur swallowed, Merlin released the spell binding him, the light disappearing as if it had never existed, and supported Arthur’s head until he could wriggle back onto the bed properly. Too drained to do more, Arthur inched towards Gwen, ducked under her free arm, and nestled against her side. By the time he settled and started working feeling into his wrists, Merlin had lowered himself to the bed between Guinevere’s thighs.

Merlin’s head dipped low. When he rose again, they could see that some of Arthur’s spend had trickled out of Gwen, evidenced by a brief glimmer of white on Merlin’s tongue. Gwen laced her fingers through Merlin’s hair and tugged the way he liked. She used her grip to guide him back down. 

While Merlin licked into her again, sucking at the nub that made Gwen shake, Arthur snaked a palm up the plane of her stomach, pausing to cradle each breast in his hand before caressing the pebbled peaks of her nipples. Together, they coaxed her into climax.

Once they had all had a chance to recover their breath and let their pulses return to normal, Merlin poured a goblet of wine from afar and summoned it to his hand for them to share.

Arthur raised the goblet in a toast. “To Camelot.” They each took a drink.

The wine passed to Gwen again, and she said, “To love.”

When Merlin’s turn to speak came, he looked at the two people cuddled beside him—his closest friends and dearest loves—and found his heart brimming with such adoration that there was only one thing to say.  
  
“To us.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feedback is always welcome. If you'd like any additional tags included or spot any errors, please let me know, and I'll update asap.
> 
> If you'd like to find me on tumblr, unmarkedinlife is my Merlin blog. I follow from balaszafiros. If you'd like to reblog this story, I made [a post for it here.](https://unmarkedinlife.tumblr.com/post/631168636211609600/concentrated-strength-its-fruit-is-sweet)


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